Monsey man charged with Medicaid theft

SPRING VALLEY — A Monsey man has been charged with a felony count of grand larceny after authorities accused him of stealing Medicaid benefits.

Eliyahu Zarifa, 46, of 252 Kearsing Parkway, was arraigned Friday in Spring Valley Village Court, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe.

Zarifa, who had already been held in the Rockland County jail on a 90-count indictment including a felony count of predatory sexual assault against a child, is believed to have improperly taken more than $4,000 in Medicaid benefits between March 2011 and February 2012.

Zugibe said that Zarifa withheld information about his employment with Top Notch Staffing and B&H Photo Company from the Rockland County Department of Social Services.

Village Justice Alan Simon set bail at $10,000. Bail for Zarifa had previously been set at $500,000 bond or $275,000 cash in connection with his previous indictment, Zugibe said.

Zarifa, who was charged Friday with third-degree grand larceny, remained at the county jail Friday night, awaiting a return to Village Court on June 6.